Improvement in fruit-crates



G WILLARD.

FRUIT-CRATE.

Patented June 5,1877.

Inventor:

Wz'bzesses r STATES PATENT FFIGE GEORGE WILLARD, OF OHIGAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO OTIS P. ABEROROMBIE, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN FRUIT-CRATES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 191,739, dated June 5, 1877; application filed March 19, 1877.

To all whom at may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE WILLARD, of Chicago, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Crate, to be used for the reception and transportation of fruit, poultry, 8230.; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the crate open. Fig. 2 is a view of the crate closed.

The object of my invention is to provide a crate so constructed that, when empty, it can be reduced considerably in volume for transportation.

My invention consists in sides, end, and top, hinged to a bottom and provided with fastening devices, so that it can be set up when desired to beused, and folded compactly when not in use, as hereininat'ter more fully set forth and described.

In order that those skilled in the art may make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried it out.

In the said drawings, A is a bottom, the remainder of the crate being made of slatted frame-work. B B are the sides of crate, hinged on the inside at a a, so that they will fold down on the bottom or stand vertically. The ends 0 are hinged on the inside at b b, and the top pieces I) D are hinged on the outside at old to the end pieces, so that when the end pieces are folded down the top pieces are extended and lie in the same plane with them. The top pieces D and D have at each side two spring-stops, E and E, which catch into recesses c e in the upper rail of the side pieces to hold one of the half-covers in place, and said top pieces are also provided with side strips 1, which are adapted to fold within and lie against the longitudinal strips m of the side-pieces B. The top piece D is also provided with metal clamps i 6, which extend around the top and edge of the upper rail of the side pieces, and secure them together. A hook, it, and staple o secure the top pieces together. A staple, p,is located in the top rail of one of the side pieces, so that when the crate is folded up the hook it will be in position to catch it and hold the crate folded, as seen in Fig. 2.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A poultry, egg, or fruit carrier, consisting of the solid bottom A, hinged sides B, hinged ends 0, and hinged top pieces I) D, having strips 1 adapted to fold within and lie against the inner sides of the strips m, and provided also with spring-stop E, metal clamps i, and hooks or other t'astenings for securing the top pieces together, the several parts constructed and arranged as herein shown and described.

GEORGE WILLARD.

Witnesses:

F. W. WOLF, ADOLPH SINGER. 

